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, 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. RAY.

(N0 Model.)

ELEVATOR.

@www lfmor W7 Witnesses.

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Attorrey.'

(No Mdel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. RAY.

ELBVATOR.

No. 582,316.` y Patented May11,1897.

a VVi'tnesses.

Attorney'.

ALEXANDER RAY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- IIALF TO EDIVARD S. LOWRY', OF SAME PLACE.

ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forxning part of Letters Patent No. 582,316, dated May 11, 1897.

Application filed November l2, 1896. Serial No. 611,865. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER RAY, of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Elevators, of which lthe following is a specification.

My invention has reference to elevators; and it consists of certain improvements which are fully set forth in the following specificaio tion and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My present invention more particularly comprehends certain improvements upon elevators for coal, sand, and similar material I5 which is set outin Letters Patent No. 538,933,

granted to me on the 7th day of May, 1895,.v

In my former patent to secure a proper capacity for vertical adjustment i-t was necessary to have a great width horizontally at 2o top, which was objectionable in practice. Furthermore, the cage which guided the lower or depending end of the elevator-conveyer was provided with guides to operate in connection with the hatchways of the boats to z 5 hold it in a centrally-guided position but was found undesirable and liable to prevent the ready discharge of the coal from the sides of the vessel.

t My present improvements are designed to 3o overcome the defects and objections which have been experienced with the elevating apparatus disclosed in my aforesaid patent, and, further, to provide a construction whereby the same elevator chains and buckets are 3 5 caused to descend on the land side of the structure, performing the dual function of balancing the shoe or cage and at the same time being capable of acting as a hoist for coal discharged from a railway-car or land- 4o vehicles.

In carrying out my invention I provide an endless chain of buckets arranged in inverted-U shape and guided at the top upon a set of adjustable guide-wheels and a set of fixed guide-wheels, whereby the horizontal length or overhang may be varied, and to one loop ofthe said chain of buckets I support a shoe or cage of suitable construction which is adapted to enter the hold of the vessel to 5o properly guide the conveyer chain and buckets and at the same time to act as a counterweight therefor, and upon the other loop of the conveyerI arrange suitable guide-wheels guided vertically in guides and combine therewith power devices, such as a block and fall and windlass for adjusting the said loop and its guide-wheels vert-ically at any distance in its guides. This latter adjustment permits the raising and lowering of the shoe or cage into or out of the boat and to com- 6o pensate for varying degrees of adjustment in the overhang. Another function of the said adjustment is to bring the loop of the conveyer and its guide-wheels down into a position adapted to receive coal or other materials from a chute leading from the land side and int-o which the coal, sand, or other materials may be discharged from a car. Vhen this latter operation is taking place, the suspended shoe or cage acts as a counterweight 7o for the conveyer-chains, and thus prevents the loaded buckets from causing the outer loop of the conveyer to abnormally rise. The operation ot' this apparatus in practice1 is most perfect and flexible in its capacity, since it is adapted under a few minutes adjustment to either elevate merchandise from vessels or from cars.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in 8o which- Figure l is a side elevation of an elevating apparatus embodying my improvements. Fig.

2 is a cross-section of same on line sono. Fig.

3 is across-section of same on line y y. Fig. 85' 4: is a plan view of the shoe or cage With the elevator-chains above'broken away, and Fig.

5 is a side sectional elevat-ion of the shoe or cage shown in Fig. l on an enlarged scale.

A represents any suitable superstructure 9o or framing built at the edge of a wharf. At the top are horizontal guides B,between which is guided the frame C, provided with guiderollers c to reduce the friction.' This frame C is provided with a rack D and is movable 9 5 horizontally, so that the overhanging end shall project to a greater or less extent over the Waterway, and this adjustment may be made by means of a crank and gearing E -of any suitable construction working with the roo rack D. At the rear or land end of the superstructure A are vertical guides J, in Which a carriage J2 is guided and carries guide or sprocket wheels J', about which the land-end loop of the conveyer F passes. At the top of the superstructure and above the guides J are arranged two fixed guide-wheels I I. At the outer extremity of the overhanging part of the horizontal adjustable frame C are guide'wheels I I. The endless conveyer F consists of sprocket-chains f, having at intervals in their length transverse buckets F, which are secured at each end to the respective chains. The endless chains pass over the wheels I and I', and at the land end the loops of the conveyer-chains pass about the sprocket-wheels J in the carriage J 2, and on the water side the loop of the chains pass about sprocket wheels G in the shoe or cage G and directly sustain the weight of the cage. The cage is open at the bottom and is provided with vertical legs -G2 on one side and curved legs G3 upon the other side, the lower ends of said legs being approximately on a level of the lowest sweep of the buckets F. The object of forming the legs G3 curved is to enable the shoe or cage to be pushed toward the curved bottom of the boat, and in that manner enable the buckets to be caused to sweep close to the sides of the vessel. It enables the proper handling of the shoe for eiiicient work. To prevent the shoe rotating and jamming or breaking the buckets, the upper part thereof is extended bya frame H, which contains at the upper part guide-wheels 7L, between which the chains of the conveyers pass. It will be understood from this construction that the greater weight of the lower part of the shoe or cage causes it to hang vertically, and lateral swinging or rotation about the axis of the sprocket-wheels G' is prevented by the guide rollers or wheels h acting upon the chains. It is of course evident that it is not necessary to have more than one set of guide-wheels h, but I prefer to arrange them to act upon all of the chains. This construction enables the shoe to be properlyT guided when desired, as shown in Fig. l, and when lowered into the hold of the vessel the shoe may be turned at an angle to work on coal to one side of the hatchway and under the deck, and when this is being done the guide-wheels h act to guide the chains and con veyers as a whole in this undercutting operation. Of course it is clear that when this function is to be performed by the guiderollers h they must be arranged to act upon all of the chains. By this improved construction of shoe or cage I am enabled to dispense entirely with independent guides acting upon the boat or in connection with the apparatus itself.

When the proper overhang to the frame C is secured, the vertical adjustment of the cage G is obtained by operating the win dlass la, which, by means of block and fall K and a bail J3, connecting with the carriage J2, will permit the proper adjustment of the land end of the conveyer in the vertical guides J, and

thus elevate or lower the shoe or cage, as de sired. The vertical guides J being of great height, it is evident that the proper adj ust ment of the shoe is readily secured when having great vertical differences or when great differences in the overhang of the frame C is required.

The horizontally-adjustablo and overhanging frame C is provided with a guide-trough L to receive the coal or merchandise when elevated by the conveyer. The horizontal movement of the conveyer pushes the coal or other material over the trough L until it passes into the chute Z and is delivered to a conveyer M, leading to any distant place.

R represents a railroad upon the land side of the elevator, and below the track is an oblique chute S, having a flaring top fr. Extensibly from the chute S is asection of chute S', which is adjustable obliquely downward and under the conveyer-buckets F and between said buckets and the bottom of the bail J3,as clearly shownin Figs. l and 3. Then this position of adjustment of the land end of the con veyer is secured, the shoe G will be hanging in space, as shown in Fig. l, and acts as a eounterweight to the land end of the conveyer and the load which it may convey. As the coal or merchandise is dumped into the chute S it is fed thereby to the conveyer and picked up by the 1apidly-1noving conveyerbuckets and elevated to the highest part of the apparatus and is deposited into a horizontal trough N, fixed upon the upper part of the guides B, and moved through said trough under the action of the buckets until it reaches a chute 11 through which it falls on to the trough L, and pushed into the chute I to be delivered to the conveyer M. It is of course evident that the chute n may deliver direct to the conveyer M; butitispreferable to allow the coal to fall so as to be received in the lower trough L and be acted upon by the portion of the chain and buckets passing therein.

From this description it will be seen how easily the apparatus is adjusted for any particular purpose and how advantageouslyitis adapted to operate either from the land or water side and without the necessity of any additional expensive and cumbersome appa ratus.

It is quite evident that the overhanging frame C might be placed at the highest part of the superstructure, if so desired, in which case the trough N would come below the frame C instead of above it; but this would not change the principle of operation of the apparatus.

It is customary to arrange the engines and boiler within or adjacent to the superstructure A, as indicated, for supplying power to the conveyers. As shown', the conveyer-chains are driven by sprocket-wheels T, to which power is transmitted from the engines below by chains or other suitable means.

IVhile l prefer the construction shown, I

TOO

IIO

do not confine myself to the minor details thereof, as they may be modilied in various ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

VhatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an elevator, the combination of the main superstructure, a laterally-adjustable overhangin g frame movable in guides at the top of the superstructure and provided with conveyer-guides at its outer or overhanging end, means for adjusting the overhanging frame laterally upon the superstructure, conveyer-guides having a fixed relation relatively to the superstructure and to the rear or land end of the laterally-adjustable*overhanging frame, a trough arranged upon the overhanging frame and extending from the overhanging end toward the land end over which the materials are moved by the conveyer, an endless conveyer havingbucketsguided over the conveyer-guides at the top ofthe superstructure and free end of the overhanging frame, a heavy shoe or cage provided -with guidewheels suspended in the loop of the conveyer and depending from the overhanging frame, guiding-wheels for the loop oi' the conveyer depending from the conveyer-guides on the superstructure, vertical guides for these lastmentioned guide-wheels, and power devices for adjusting the said last-mentioned guidewheels vertically for the purpose of causing a variation in the relative adjustment of the two loops of the conveyer.

2. In an elevator, the combination of the main superstructure, a laterally-adjustable overhanging frame movable in guides at the top of the superstructure and provided with conveyer-guides at its outer or overhangingA end, means for adjusting the overhanging frame laterally upon the superstructure, conveyer-guides havin g a fixed relation relatively to the superstructure and to the rear or land end of the laterally-adjustable overhanging frame, a trough arranged upon the overhang'- in g frame and extending' from the overhanging end toward the land end over which the materials are moved by the conveyer, an endless conveyer'having buckets guided over the conveyer-guides at the top of the superstructure and free end of the overhanging frame, a heavy shoe or cage provided with guidewheels suspended in the loop of the conveyer depending from the overhanging frame, guiding-wheels for the loop of the conveyer depending. from the conveyer-guides on the superstructure, vertical guides for these'last- :mentioned guide-wheels,power devices for adj usting the said last-mentioned guide-wheels verticallyT for the purpose of causing a variation' in the relative adjustment of the two loops of the conveyer, a guide-trough arranged upon the upper part of the superstructure and extending from the conveyerguides toward the adjustable overhangin g trame, and a guide or chute for delivering materials to be elevated to the buckets passing about the vertically-adjustable guidewheels.

3. In an elevator, the combination of the main superstructure, a laterally-adjustable overhanging frame movable in guides at the vtop of the superstructure and provided with conveyer-guides at its outer or overhanging end, means for adjusting the overhanging frame laterally upon the superstructure, conveyer-guides having a fixed relation relatively to the superstructure and to the rear or land end of the laterally-adjustable overhanging frame, a trough arranged upon the'overhan ging frame and extending from the overhanging end toward the land end over which the materials are moved by the conveyer and provided with a chute at its rear end, an endless conveyer having buckets guided over the conveyer-guides at the top of the superstructure and free end of the overhanging frame, a heavy shoe or cage provided with guide-wheels suspended in the loop of the conveyer depending from the overhanging frame, guiding-wheels for the loop of the conveyer depending from the conveyer-guides on the superstructure, vertical guides for these last-mentioned guide-wheels, power devices for adjusting the said last-mentioned guidewheels vertically for the purpose of causing a variation in the relative adjustment of the two loops of the conveyer7 a guide-trough arranged upon the upper part of the superstructure and extending from the conveyerguides toward the adjustable overhanging frame and discharging into the trough of the overhanging frame, a guide or chute for delivering the materials to the buckets below the vertically-adjustable guide-wheels, and the conveyer leading from the chute of the trough 1 of the overhanging frame toa distant place. 4. In an elevator, the combination of the main superstructure, a laterally-adjustable overhanging frame movable in guides at the top of the superstructureand provided with conveyer-guides at its outer or overhanging end, means for adjusting the overhanging frame laterally uponv the superstructure, conveyer-guides having a fixed relation relatively to the superstructure and to the rear or land end of the laterally-adjustable overhanging frame, atrough arranged upon the overhanging frame and extending from the overhanging end toward the land end over which the materials are moved by the conveyer, an endless conveyer having buckets guided over the conveyer-guides at the top of the superstructure and free end of the overhanging frame, a heavy shoe or cage provided with guidewheels suspended in the loop of the conveyer depending from the overhangin g frame, guiding-wheels for the loop of the conveyer depending from the conveyer-guides on the superstructure, vertical guides for these lastmentioned guide-wheels, power devices for adjusting the said last-mentioned guidewheels vertically for the purpose of causing IIO a variation in the relative adjustment of the Y 5. In an elevator, a superstructure having,

horizontal guides at the top, a laterally-adjustable overhanging frame guided in said horizontal guides, means for adjusting the overhanging frame upon the superstructure, guide-wheels arranged at the overhanging end of the overhanging frame, guide-wheels arranged at the upper part pf the superstructure to the rear of the overhan ging frame, an endless conveyer having buckets supported over the guide-wheels so as to hang in twoV loops like an inverted-U shape, a heavy guide-shoe hung in the loop of the conveyer immediately below the overhanging end of the overhanging frame, means to adjust the other loop of the conveyer vertically, and a horizontal guiding trough carried by the overhanging frame over which the materials are moved by the conveyer-buckets.

6. In an elevator, a superstructure having horizontal guides at the top, a laterally-adjustable overhanging frame guided in said horizontal guides, means for adjusting the overhanging frame upon the superstructure, guide-wheels arranged at the overhanging end of the overhanging frame, guide-wheels arranged at the upper part of the superstructure to the rear of the overhanging frame, an endless conveyer having buckets supported over the guide-wheels so as to hang in two loops like an inverted-U shape, a heavy guide-shoe hung in the loop of the conveyer immediately below the overhanging end of the overhanging frame, means to adjust the other loop of the conveyer vertically, a horizontal guiding-trough carried by the overhanging frame over which the materials are moved by the conveyer-buckets, feeding devices for materials to the conveyer-bnckets of the loop extending downward from the guide-wheels upon the superstructure, and a guide-trough for receiving the materials from the buckets of the conveyer when they pass to the horizontal portion of the conveyer.

7. In an elevator, a superstructure having horizontal guides at the top, a laterally-adjustable overhanging frame guided in said horizontal guides, means for adjusting the overhanging frame upon the superstructure, guide-wheels arranged at the overhanging end of the overhanging frame, guide-wheels arranged at the upper part of the superstructure to the rear of the overhanging frame, an endless conveyer having buckets supported over the guide-wheels so as to hang in two loops like an inverted U shape, a heavy guide-shoe hung in the loop of the conveyer immediately below the overhanging end of the overhanging frame, means to adjust the other loop of the conveyer vertically, and a horizontal guiding trough g carried by the overhanging frame over which the materials are moved by the conveyer-buckets, feeding devices for the materials to the conveyerbuckets of the loop evtending downward from the guide-wheels upon the superstructure, a guide-trough for receiving the materials from the buckets of the conveyer when they pass to the horizontal portion of the conveyer, and a conveyer independent of the endless conveyer for conveying the materials received by both or either of the troughs to a distant place.

8. In an elevator, the combination of a su* perstructure, an overhanging frame at the top, an endless conveyer depending from the overhanging frame in the form of a loop, and a cage freely movable and independent of the overhanging frame for the lower end of the loop of the conveyer consisting of a frame supported wholly from the overhan gin g frame by the conveyer and having guide-wheels for the chains or links of the conveyer and downwardly-extending feet of which those upon one side are curved toward the middle.

9. In an elevator, the combination of asuperstructure, an overhanging frame at the top, an endless conveyer depending from the overhanging frame in the form of a loop, and an independent and freely-movable cage for the lower end of the loop of the conveyer consisting of a box-frame of height greatly less than the distance from the overhan gin g frame to the loop of the conveyer and having guidewheels for the chains of the conveyer and downwardly-extending feet of which those upon one side are curved toward the middle and further having an upwardlyextending portion provided with guide wheels or rollers for guiding the chains of the conveyer whereby the shoe or cage may be bent at an angle for working upon coal at one side of the hatchway in the hold of a vessel.

l0. In an elevator, the combination of a superstructure, an overhanging frame at the top, an endless conveyer depending from the overhan ging frame in the forni of a loop, and a cage ot" a height greatly less than the distance from the overhanging frame to the loop of the conveyer and having its Weight supported in the lower end or loop of the conveyer and consisting of a box-frame freely movable in all directions having guide-wheels for the chains of the conveyer and downwardly-extending feet and also having guiding devices for the conveyer-chains attached to the cage above the guide-wheels whereby the cage is normally held in a vertical position and may be set at an angle when desired while in operation.

l1. In an elevator, the combination of a su perstructure, two sets of guide-wheels supported at the upper part, a conveyer guided IOC IIO

over said wheels and formed inverted U shaped, an adjustable overhanging support carried by the superstructure at the top and having guide-rollers, a counterweight supportedv on one of the loops of the conveyer which depends from the adjustable overhanging support, guideevwheels working in connection with the other loop of the conveyer, adj ustin g devices for adjusting the guide-wheels vertically, ahorizontal trough arranged at the upper part of the superstructure and over which the materials being conveyed are moved,and alaterally-directed chute adapted to guide thematerials to be elevated to a point immediately below the looped end of the conveyer guided by the guide-wheels.

l2. In an elevator, the combination of asuperstructure, two sets of guide-wheels supported at the upper part, a conveyer guided over said Wheels and formed inverted- U shaped, an adjustable overhanging support carried by the superstructure at the top and having` guide-rollers, a counterweight supported on one of the loops of the conveyer which depends from the adjustable overhanging support, guide-wheels working in connection with the other loop of the conveyer, adjustin g devices foradj usting the guidewheels vertically, a horizontal trough arranged at the upper partrof the superstructure and over which the materials being conveyed are moved, a laterally-directed chute adapted to guide the materials to be elevated to a point immediately belowthe looped en d of the couveyer guided by the guide-wheels, and a hopper connecting with the laterally -directed chute.

13. In an elevator, the combination of the superstructure A having the horizontal guides B, a laterally-movable overhanging frame C guided in said guides provided at its outer end with guide-wheels I, a horizontal trough L carried by said overhanging frame, a xed trough N carried by the superstructure at or near the top, vertical guides J secured to the superstructure at the rear, an endless conveyer F provided with buckets F and guided over the guide-wheels I so as to hang in a loop from the overhanging frame, a weighted guide-shoe for guiding the lower end of the loop of the conveyer, iixed guide-wheels I upon the upper portion of the superstructure and over which the conveyer passes and depends in a second loop, guide-wheels J supported in the second loop of the conveyer, carriage J 2, J 3 moving in the guidesJ for guiding the wheels J a block and fall K, a windlass k for adjusting the said carriage in the guides for raising and lowering the shoe.

14C. In an elevator, the combination of the superstructure A having the horizontal guides B, a laterally-movable overhanging frame C guided in said guides and provided-at its outer end with guide-wheels I, a horizontal trough L carried by said overhanging frame, a Xed trough N carried by the superstructure at the top, vertical guides J secured to the superstructure at the rear, an endless conveyer F provided with buckets F and guided over the guide-wheels I so as tovhang in a loop from the overhanging frame, a Weighted guide-shoe for guiding the lower end of the loop of the conveyer, fixed guide-wheels I upon the upper portion of the superstructure and over which the conveyer passes and depends in a second loop, guide-wheels J supported in the second loop-of the conveyer-carriage J2, J3 moving in the guides J for guiding the wheels J', a block and fall K, a windlass k for adjusting the said carriage inthe guides for raising and lowering the shoe, a laterally and downwardly extending chute S, an eXtensible chute-section S' adapted to convey the materials from the chute S to a point below the guide-wheels J', and power devices for operating the conveyer.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

ALEXANDER RAY.

lVitnesses:

R. M. HUNTER,

J. W. KENwoRTHY. 

